SCAN

In 1977, 12 senior activists in Long Beach, California decided there had to be a better way to get the services they needed to live safely at home as they got older. It’s not that Long Beach didn’t offer these services—it did. It just wasn’t easy to access them.

When the seniors made their case, the city formed the not-for-profit Long Beach Geriatric Health Care System (catchy name, right?).

Thankfully, this new system was introduced to the public as the Senior Care Action Network. It truly was a network of services and programs, from meal delivery to home repair to medical centers, transportation, housing and more. In all, about 35 organizations took part, reflecting the cultural diversity of the people they served.

Over the years, the state and federal governments offered opportunities for SCAN to become a driving force in senior care and support. We launched our first Medicare health plan, a Social HMO, in 1984—and we’ve never looked back.